Cecilia AKINTOMIDE
Senior Executive Adviser to Group CEO, Ecobank Transnational
Cecilia Akintomide is a seasoned executive with expertise in Development Finance, Corporate Governance, Law, and Strategy. Cecilia is an Executive Adviser to the Group CEO of Ecobank Transnational Incorporated, also known as ETI, a Pan African Financial Services Holding Company headquartered in Lomé, Togo, with affiliates present in 35 African countries, as well as in France, UK, UAE and China. At ETI, Cecilia focuses on Strategic Institutional Partnerships.
Cecilia also is Chairperson of the Global Sanitation and Hygiene Fund, an Independent Director on company Boards, a member of the Board of Trustees of the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, and a member of the Chartered Institute of Directors, Nigeria. Prior to Ecobank, she served in senior roles including Vice President Secretary General of the African Development Bank (AfDB), a development finance institution established to contribute to the development of African countries. Cecilia also served as Head of Public and Private Sector Operations and Policy, in the General Counsel & Legal Services Department of the AfDB. Prior to the AfDB, Cecilia practiced law in Lagos, Washington D.C., and New York, at the law firms of O. Thomas & Co.; Thompson & Co.; and Weil, Gotshal & Manges.
Cecilia is an ardent champion of Girls and Women’s Economic Empowerment, and is passionate about corporate governance, the accelerated and sustainable development of African countries, as well as innovation and entrepreneurship. She is a life member of WIMBIZ (Women in Management and Business and Public Service). Cecilia has received several awards, including the National Award of the Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON) from the Federal Republic of Nigeria, in recognition of her contribution to sustainable development. In 2019, Cecilia also received the African Business Law Icon of the year award.
Cecilia holds a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Ife (now OAU); Master of Laws from the University of Miami Law School; Master of Laws from the University of Pennsylvania Law School; and an Executive MBA from TRIUM (a combined program by LSE, NYU and HEC). She was also admitted to the Nigerian Bar and the New York State Bar.